📸: Courtesy of Opendoor
Hi, Elsa! Why don’t you start with a little bit about what you do at Opendoor?
I’m Opendoor‘s South Florida Area Manager. I’m in charge of the properties we buy in the South Florida region, from Homestead to Port Saint Lucie. As an area manager, I ensure properties meet our quality standards. My team works with contractors coordinating any repairs needed such as fresh paint, roof replacement, and new flooring, to get the home ready for our customers.
How does Miami help you do what you do or influence your work?
Miami is a great place to do real estate; people are always moving or investing in this great city. This is why Opendoor is such a great option for people looking to sell or buy in South Florida, as we make the real estate process a simple and certain one.
Wax poetic for a minute and tell us: what brings you most alive about this city?
I love living in a city with so much diversity that offers so much culture and amazing food from all over the world. I like being able to speak my native language, Spanish, and enjoy food from Colombia, the country I was born in.
So much diversity and culture comes from the art scene in Miami — it’s so cool being able to attend events like Art Basel.
What’s an unpopular opinion you have about the city?
The suburbs are the best place to live in Miami! I love the quietness, and being able to run my errands with a quick five-minute drive.
What’s your favorite Miami memory?
One of my favorite memories in Miami was during the summer of 2014 when I was watching the World Cup (Colombia vs. Uruguay) with friends. It’s amazing how soccer brought so much life to Miami.
When Colombia won and qualified to go to the next round, people were dancing and celebrating on the streets in Brickell. It reminded me of celebrating wins when I was a kid in Colombia.
If you could eat only one meal from a local restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I am between the Sepia a la Plancha from Xixón in Coral Gables or the churrasco at Macitas in West Kendall.
Outside of the obvious stop above, share your other top three destinations for where you’d go on your perfect Miami day.
My perfect day in Miami would start with going to the Everglades and spending some time with nature walking through Shark Valley. Then, doing brunch with friends at Bachour, and taking a stroll in the Design District. I would end the day with a run in Key Biscayne while watching the sunset.
If you could give any one piece of advice to locals, what would it be?
As we all know, over the past few years, Miami has become one of the most popular places to live (I’m not surprised, it’s amazing here!).
However, the traditional real estate market still presents challenges for those looking to relocate in the area. If you are looking to sell your home, Opendoor offers a fully digital, simple and certain process. There’s no need to make repairs or schedule showings. Getting an offer from Opendoor is easy: just go to Opendoor.com, type in your address and provide some details about your home. We’ll take it from there and send you a free, preliminary offer.
What’s a project you’re working on and how can our readers help you with it?
As a Christmas present to my boyfriend, I’m trying to update and to beautify my backyard, so I would love some ideas from the readers. I will post a picture on Instagram @elsitafr and you can tag me on simple ideas I could implement! #IdeasforElsasBackyard
What are you looking forward to between now and the end of the year?
The holidays are my favorite time of the year! I look forward to buying a Christmas tree and decorating my house with lights. I love seeing the neighborhood lit up! I also can’t wait to spend time with my whole family, especially my nephews and eating holiday food!
That’s a wrap on this week’s Locals to Know, sponsored by Opendoor. Know someone who ought to be featured or would like to be featured yourself? Reach out by sending an email to [email protected] with the subject line “TNT Locals to Know 2023.” If chosen, you might just see yourself or a friend in a future newsletter.